Editorial: Bumpy road ahead for Marin's 101 interchange plan

MARIN residents will have to live with the major changes proposed for the Highway 101 corridor in Greenbrae for a long time.

Opponents of the $143 million project turned out in force at two recent public meetings in the past week. On Tuesday night, 250 residents attended a Caltrans and Transportation Authority of Marin meeting in Larkspur. Many were critical of a flyover that is designed to take southbound freeway traffic into Corte Madera, ending at Wornum Drive. The flyover's size and aesthetics were frequent targets. Others opposed removal of a pedestrian overcrossing over 101.

Local transportation officials are on their heels.

They need to do a better job of explaining why the project is needed. They appear to be willing to rethink the project, which is a good thing.

Residents, businesses and local officials, meanwhile, need to realize that to get something, they must give up something.

The project is designed to ease congestion and increase safety on a stretch of freeway that carries 160,000 to 170,000 cars a day.

Transportation officials say the stretch from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to Tamalpais Avenue is now the most accident-prone part of Highway 101 in Marin. In the past 10 years, an accident has been reported every three days on average, with more than 550 injuries during that period.

On weekday mornings, 2,500 cars pour onto Highway 101 from Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The result is a dangerously congested stretch as those drivers try to merge with traffic exiting the freeway.

The project in various forms has been studied and discussed for 10 years. It needs to be one the community supports and welcomes.

To do nothing also would be a mistake.

A southbound flyover would reduce congestion and improve safety. But this isn't the place to be building large concrete freeway monuments — especially in the sightlines of Mount Tam, marshes and the bay. We hope those days are over.

Transportation officials say a southbound flyover would not be needed if the Fifer Avenue (Lucky Drive) exit is eliminated. That choice has been considered in the past and discarded in the face of local opposition. On Tuesday, local transportation officials make their pitch at a joint meeting of the Larkspur and Corte Madera councils. They will be joined by Supervisors Steve Kinsey and Katie Rice.

Transportation officials say they are flexible and are willing to adjust the project, including considering previously discussed proposals.

Perhaps the flyover can be redesigned so it is less obvious and intrusive. But given the mounting opposition to a flyover, perhaps it is time to take another look at closing the Fifer exit on Highway 101.

The last thing we need is to be discussing this project in another 10 years.